Nurturing Her Passion

By Holly Swanson

It’s no secret that ASU attracts some of the brightest minds in Arizona, but the financial assistance that helps them continue their studies outside the classroom is what turns them into world-class scholars.

Annie Carson, a global health major in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, is one such student. After discovering a passion in high school for maternal health and childbirth practices, she has developed this interest further at ASU. Last summer, she visited six foreign countries to conduct research for her honors thesis thanks to an award from the Circumnavigators Club Foundation, which supports programs that further its mission of improving international relations through friendship and understanding.

“I have so many interests and passions that would be difficult to implement on my own volition as a student,” Carson says. “Having support gave me the spark to consider doing something as huge as this project.”

Carson’s research took her to Australia, Bangladesh, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Rwanda, and Sweden. As she traveled, she met with policy makers, midwives, and researchers while investigating the international status of maternal health care.

“It was a privilege to meet so many amazing, passionate people and to have them share their stories with me,” Carson says.

Carson’s opportunities to impact international maternal health can continue through her support from the Flinn Foundation. Carson’s Flinn scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, and at least two travel-abroad experiences. The merit-based scholarship program supports Arizona’s highest achieving students who choose to attend an Arizona university.

Carson looks forward to sharing her research and to someday giving back to other students. “I believe that today’s students are going to be the thinkers and the pushers and the changers,” she says.